FDA Approves Import of IV Fluids as Shortage Burdens Hospitals
On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the import of certain IV fluids from overseas. Hospitals nationwide have been struggling with an IV fluid shortage after Hurricane Helene damaged Baxter International’s IV fluid manufacturing facility in Marion, North Carolina.
Baxter’s North Cove facility produces 1.5 million bags of IV solutions daily. It supplies 60 percent of the nation’s IV solutions, including products such as saline, sterile water, and peritoneal dialysis solutions.
The B. Braun factory making IV fluids in Daytona Beach, Florida, had to close temporarily due to Hurricane Milton's approaching. The company posted an update stating that it was not seriously impacted by the storm and had reopened its doors.
Health systems have been taking actions to conserve IV fluids, some cancelling elective procedures. The New Hampshire-based Concord Hospital Health System posted an update stating that it is conserving IV fluids to ensure optimal patient care and is establishing a central structure to oversee IV fluid inventory and utilization.
Meanwhile, Berkeley Lovelace Jr. and Mustafa Fattah reported for NBC News that the UVA Health University Medical Center in Charlottesville, Virginia, has been postponing some elective surgery to help conserve its supply of IV fluids.
Baxter released a statement that it is advancing multiple paths to help ensure it appropriately manages inventory and minimizes disruption to patient care. This includes implementing allocations, which limit what a customer can order based on historical purchases and medical necessity, as well as available and projected inventory.
“In the coming weeks, supply may continue to be constrained, and we understand that certain products are on allocation; however, Baxter reported that they have resumed shipments to hospitals and dialysis providers and patients after the temporary hold last week, based on allocations as previously communicated,” said Secretary Xavier Becerra in a statement. “The inventory will be used to support current allocations in the short term, and they note that several of their global plants are scaling and ramping production to help meet U.S. needs. Other producers are expected to be able to continue to fulfill domestic orders within their allocation.”
